Last legislative session, Texas passed Senate Bill 17 by Senator Brandon Creighton(R-Conroe). The positive effects of the passage of this bill are already making waves throughout the state of Texas as the University of Texas has been forced to lay off 60 DEI employees. DEI programs have taken over schools and pushback on it is finally working.
DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The first part of that is simple, they want to bring more diversity to different workforces instead of incentivizing the, whoevers best fit for the job, approach. This next part is often confusing. Equity is far different from equality. Equality is the sentiment that no matter what your background is, you will be treated the same as the person next to you. Equity is almost the opposite and is the idea that we must give extra to those who might’ve grown up without much giving a huge disadvantage to the average Texan. The result of this is programs like affirmative action. Inclusion doesn’t just mean that they want everybody to be involved. Inclusion is the incentivization of something out of the normal way of life like becoming a member of the LGBTQ community.
Senate Bill 17 sought to destroy DEI offices on campuses across the state to bring back a more equal and fair approach to higher education in Texas. Senator Creighton said, “DEI programs have been shown to be exclusive, they have been shown to be ineffective and they have shown to be politically charged. Many of these programs have been weaponized to compel speech instead of protecting free speech.” DEI is ruining many industries not only in Texas but around the world and removing it from schools is a huge first step.
There are still more steps to be taken to remove DEI from Texas as a whole. Many jobs incentivize and prioritize their DEI quotas in order to get the societal stamp of approval but Texans don’t want or need it. Texans want a fair education and job market regardless of skin color or sexual status. The best man for the job approach should be taken by all companies and campuses in Texas. We applaud Senator Creighton for taking the lead and hope that every campus in Texas follows the University of Texas and complies with this newly implemented law.